HOUSTON TX, August 2018–Kinetic Pressure Control and NASA are pleased to announce a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) which compares the reliability of existing BOP equipment vs a BOP configured with a new technology called the Kinetic Blowout Stopper (K-BOS.) The K-BOS is a pyro-mechanical BOP technology used in emergency situations which require oil & gas operators to shut-in a well. This PRA is based on an initial study chartered by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and performed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) together with Anadarko. The key result of the PRA provides that the probability of failure on demand of a BOP stack equipped with the K-BOS as a replacement for the casing shear ram is more than 3 orders of magnitude less likely compared to that of a traditional hydraulic BOP. In the case where a K-BOS replaces both the blind shear ram and the casing ram equipment the probability of a failure is reduced more than four orders of magnitude.
“The increase in reliability provided by the K-BOS represents the game changing reliability that the world expects to see from the oil & gas industry after a tragedy such as the Macondo blowout. The fact that we are now able to offer a truly reliable emergency well control solution in all cases changes the outlook for the industry as a whole,” said Steve Angstmann, Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder of Kinetic Pressure Control.
The PRA methodology is documented in Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Probabilistic Risk Assessment Methodology Guideline. The BOP PRA was constructed using Version 8.1.4 of the Systems Analysis Program for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE) software tool that was developed at Idaho National Laboratory. For more details, the PRA will be published on the Kinetic Pressure Control website at a future date.
About Kinetic Pressure Control
Kinetic Pressure Control is a leading well control technology company that designs and manufactures innovative wellhead and pressure control equipment and services. K-BOS stands for “Kinetic Blow Out Stopper.” It is an electrically initiated pyro-mechanical gate valve which can shear anything the well bore above the bit and seal the well instantly. Think of it as the air bag for the Oil & Gas industry.
Learn more about Kinetic Pressure Control Limited and their K-BOS technology at www.shearanything.com
About NASA Johnson Space Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.NASA’s Johnson Space Center has been a leader in human space exploration for more than half a century. As the nucleus of the nation’s astronaut corps and home to International Space Station mission operations, the Orion crew and a host of future space developments, the center plays a pivotal role in human space exploration and enhancing technological and scientific knowledge to benefit all of humankind. Established in 1961 on nearly 1,700 acres southeast of downtown Houston as the Manned Spacecraft Center, the center was renamed in 1973 to honor the late president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson. From the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs to the International Space Station and Orion, the center has been at the forefront of America’s human spaceflight programs. Johnson’s nearly 10,000-person workforce helps bolster NASA’s standing as an institution where creative and talented problem solvers push the boundaries of explorations innovation.
Learn more about the NASA JSC at https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html
Background on BSEE
Since its establishment in 2011, BSEE has been the lead federal agency charged with improving safety and ensuring environmental protection related to the offshore energy industry, primarily oil and natural gas, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Bureau vigorously regulates oversight of worker safety, emergency preparedness, environmental compliance, and conservation of resources. Our year-round work schedule includes conducting thousands of announced and unannounced inspections, developing safer technologies, mandating that each operator establish and follow their Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS), and carrying out investigations when serious incidents do occur. Headquartered in Washington D.C., just two blocks from the White House in the Interior Department’s Stewart Lee Udall Main Interior Building, BSEE’s strength lies in the coordination that exists between the six national programs, three region offices (located in Anchorage, Camarillo (California), and New Orleans) and its five Gulf Coast district offices. Staff in the Sterling, Virginia annex and research arms in both Texas and New Jersey provide the Bureau and the energy industry with innovative solutions to safety issues and new approaches that lessen the impacts of oil spills and other environmental concerns.
BSEE is a forward-thinking regulator engaged in ongoing efforts to help industry develop and maintain a robust safety culture with a strong focus on offshore risk reduction. Through incident reporting requirements, near-miss reporting, and real-time monitoring we are advancing the ability of the offshore industry to improve safety and respond quickly when incidents do occur. We believe that safety, environmental stewardship, and resource conservation are linked attributes. Therefore we address each of these three areas with equal vigor in order to drive the industry to take their responsibilities as seriously as we take ours.
Learn more about BSEE at https://www.bsee.gov/